US Customs to suspend railway operations at international crossings into Texas starting Monday

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will suspend operations at international railway crossing bridges in two Texas cities along the southern border in response to the recent resurgence of smuggling organizations using freight trains to move migrants through Mexico to the US border.

In a statement released on Sunday, CBP officials said beginning at 8 a.m. on Dec. 18, the agency’s Office of Field Operations will suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas in order to redirect personnel to assist US Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody.

“CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” the statement read. “After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities.”